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Kwara State To Hosts National Council on Mining On Monday

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Joel Ajayi


Stakeholders in the Minerals and Metals sector will gather in Ilorin, Kwara State capital  to address key thematic  areas  that will enhance the repositioning of the sector for rapid socio-economic growth and development of the country. The meeting is scheduled to hold Monday 15 Wednesday 17 January 2024.


Theme of the 5th Edition of the National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources Development (NCMMRD) that is being organized by the Ministries of Solid Minerals Development and Steel Development is – ”Minerals and Metals Sector: A Panacea for Economic Growth and Diversity”.


In a Press statement Signed by Deputy Director (Information & PR) Alaba R. Balogun stated that Dr Oladele Alake,  Minister for Solid Minerals Development  will address the Council which membership is made up of the Ministries, Honourable Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries in charge of Mineral Resources at the State Levels and other relevant stakeholders in the Minerals and Metals sector.

Participants at the meeting will also include Miners Association of Nigeria ( MAN), Women In Mining ( WIM), Minerals Resources and Environmental Committee ( NIREMCO) and other  operators.

Under the thematic structure of the Council are sub-themes on which the Ministries call for submission of memoranda by Stakeholders and the public,  of not more than 5 pages in both soft and hard copies on the  topics: 


 a. Community Development and Inclusiveness in the Nigerian Minerals and Metals sector: Prospects and and Problems 

 b Curbing the menace of Illegal mining operations in Nigeria     

c. Technological Innovation : A Pivotal Game Changer for the Minerals and Metals Industry     

 d. Lithium as Energy Transition Minerals in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges     

e. Minerals Resources Management: A key to the realization of Economic Diversification for the nation.


It is worthwhile to reiterate that the Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Dr Alake has  asserted at various fora that the minerals sector is the next Petroleum of Nigeria, coupled with the global transition from  fossil fuel to green energy;and  the avowed determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to diversify the economy and uplift millions of Nigerians out of poverty level.


The 5th  Edition of the National Council on Mining and Mineral Resources Development (NCMMRD), an annual event, is scheduled to hold Monday 15 – Wednesday 17 January, 2024 at Ilorin, Kwara State. The first two days of commencement will be technical sessions;  while the last day is the Executive Session of the Council, which will be Co-Chaired by the Hon. Ministers of Solid Minerals Development and Steel Development.


Riding on the above development, It is pertinent to state that during the previous  Edition of the  National Council of Mining and Mineral Resources Development (NCMMRD), a total thirty-one (31)  Memoranda  were considered. The recommendations approved by this Council included but not limited to:


Mandate State government’s to appoint and inaugurate Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee Chairmen ( MIREMCO) in all the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT
Adequate Sensitization and training of Artisanal Miners on areas such as safe and responsible mining and environmental sustainability should be sustained.


Expedite action on the case submitted to Federal Ministry of Justice regarding multiple licencing and taxation in mining by States and Local governments, to be brought for interpretation.


Sensitize and enlighten mining host communities and other stakeholders on the contents and context of Community Development Agreement ( CDA) in order to ensure mutual harmony.


Enforce the ”use  it or lose it” principle of Mining Cadastre Office ( MCO) in order to forestall illegal mining and free up spaces for genuine investors.

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Tax Reform Bills: The Verdict of Nigerians

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Ismaila Ahmad Abdullahi Ph.D

The public hearings conducted recently by the two Chambers of the National Assembly have elicited positive responses from a broad spectrum of Nigerians, cutting across regional interest groups, government agencies, civil society groups, concerned individuals, the academia, and Labour Unions, among diverse others. Contrary to a few dissensions hitherto expressed in the media, almost all the stakeholders who spoke during the week-long sessions were unanimous in their declaration that the hallowed Chambers should pass the tax reform bills after a clean-up of the grey areas.

The public hearings were auspicious for all Nigerians desirous of economic growth and fiscal responsibility. They were also a watershed moment for the Federal Inland Revenue Service, which had been upbeat about the tax reforms. Indeed, the public hearings had rekindled hope in the tenets of democracy that guarantee freedom of expression and equitable space for cross-fertilisation of ideas. Without gainsaying the fact, the tax reform bills have been unarguably about the most thought-provoking issues in Nigeria today, drawing variegated perspectives and commentaries from even unlikely quarters such as the faith-based leaders, student bodies, and trade unions, which speaks much about the importance of the bills.

In the build-up to the public hearings, not many people believed that the bills would make it to the second reading, much less the public hearings. Even the Northern stakeholders who seemed unlikely to support the passage of the bills have softened their stance and have given valuable suggestions that would enrich the substance of the bills. The Arewa Consultative Forum came to the public hearings well-prepared with a printed booklet that addressed their concerns. It concluded with an advisory that the bills should be “Well planned, properly communicated, strategically implemented and ample dialogue and political consensus allowed for the reforms to be accepted.”

The concerns of ACF ranged from the composition of the proposed Nigeria Revenue Service Board as contained in Part 111, Section 7 of the bill, the unlimited Presidential power to exempt/wave tax payment as proposed in Section 75(1) of the bill, the family income or inheritance tax as contained in Part 1, Section 4(3) of the bill, to the issues around development levy and VAT. On the development levy, the ACF stated that unless the Federal Government is considering budgetary funding for TETFUND, NASENI and NITDA, it does not see the “wisdom behind the plan to replace (them) with NELFUND”.

The position of the North was equally reinforced by the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, Northern Elders Forum, Kano State Government, Professor Auwalu Yadudu, and the FCT Imams. Like the ACF, these stakeholders lent their respective voices to the Section on the Inheritance Tax in Part 1 of the bill and the use of the term ‘ecclesiastical’, which, in their views, undermines certain religious rights and beliefs. The Kano State Government, represented by Mahmud Sagagi, affirmed that “we support tax modernisation” but cautioned that “we must ensure that this process does not come at the expense of states’ constitutional rights and economic stability”. Professor Auwalu Yadudu, a constitutional law professor, drew attention to the use of the ‘supremacy clause’ and cautioned that the repeated use of “notwithstanding” in the bills would undermine the supremacy of the Nigerian constitution if passed as such.

Other stakeholders that made contributions at the sessions included the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas, Fiscal Responsibility Commission, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria, Nigeria Customs Service, and a host of others. While most of their concerns bordered on technical issues requiring fine-tuning, they were unanimous in their support for the bills. They aligned with the position of the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji, Ph.D. and the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, which is that the extant tax laws and fiscal regulations are obsolete necessitating reforms aimed at creating a fair and equitable tax and fiscal space to grow Nigeria’s economy.

In one of the sessions, Dr Zaach Adedeji expounded on the criss-cross of trade activities in the Free Trade Zone whereby companies misuse tax waivers as exporters to sell their goods or services in the Customs Area at an amount usually less than the price the operators in the Customs Area who pay VAT and other taxes sell theirs thereby disrupting business transactions. This way, the operators in the Free Trade Zone shortchange the government in paying their due taxes by circumventing extant regulations, which are inimical to the economy’s growth.

Overall, the presentations were forthright, foresighted, and helpful in elucidating the issues contained in the bills. According to the statistics read out at the end of the hearings at the Senate, 75 stakeholders were invited, 65 made submissions, and 61 made presentations. At the House of Representatives 53 stakeholders made presentations. By all means, this is a fair representation. Given the presentations, it is evident that the National Assembly has gathered enough materials to guide its deliberations on the bills. As we look forward to the passage of the bills, we commend the leadership of the National Assembly for their unwavering commitment to making the bills see the light of the day.

Abdullahi is the Director of the Communications and Liaison Department, FIRS.

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